Veteran music manager and record label executive Mary Martin — champion, career coach and musical liaison for artists such as Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill — died Thursday (July 4) at age 85, according to a statement from the Country Music Hall of Fame fame and of the Museum.
Born June 15, 1939, Martin, originally from Toronto, studied briefly at the University of British Columbia before moving to New York in the 1960s and working as an executive assistant Albert Grossmanmanager of Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and Peter, Paul and Mary.
“Working for Albert Grossman in those days, it didn't matter how humble the work was,” Martin said during a 2009 interview at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where she was honored as part of the Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum. “We were surrounded and enveloped by all these great artists.”
After returning to Toronto, Martin became involved in the folk music scene and met the band The Hawks, which included members Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko. The group would later become known as The Band, and Martin is credited with connecting the group with Dylan in the mid-1960s.
Martin became an artist manager for artists including Cohen, who would later release songs such as “Suzanne” and “Sisters of Mercy.” He began managing Morrison just as he was releasing star-making albums like Astral Weeks, Moondance and Tupelo Honey.
During most of the 1970s, Martin worked as an influential A&R executive for Warner Bros. Records, signing and developing the careers of artists including Emmylou Harris and Leon Redbone.
“If you took her out of the equation, my life would be very, very different,” Harris said in the trailer for the documentary. Mary Martin: Music Maven.
After her departure from Warner Bros., Martin began managing Crowell, a relationship that lasted from 1979 to 1983. In 1983, he became the manager for Gill, who was then the guitarist in Crowell's band The Cherry Bombs. After Martin connected Gill with the then head of RCA Records Nashville Joe Gallantsigned a deal with RCA, which would catapult Gill to country music stardom on the strength of songs like “Oklahoma Borderline,” “When I Call Your Name” and “I Still Believe in You.”
In the Music Maven trailer of the documentary, Gill calls Martin “one of the special people on earth who uses her gift for the right reasons. There is no doubt that they are a rare breed.”
“Mary and I started working together in '85,” says Galante Advertising sign in a statement. “Her knowledge, honesty, humor and wit were a powerful combination. We hit it off right away. She was never interested in musical trends. Mary was focused on artists who could make music that would last. She was respected and loved by people throughout the industry. Mary has creatively raised the bar for all of us. I will miss that smile and characteristic laugh.”
Martin quit his job as Gill's manager when he joined RCA in an A&R role. While at the label, he signed artists including singer-songwriter Matraca Berg and mentored the careers of artists including Lorrie Morgan and Clint Black.
“Mary was a big, big part of my early career,” Morgan said Advertising sign through a statement. “She was a tough lawyer and a creative strategist. He had an amazing, innate gift for artists and songs. Mary had a salty vocabulary and was quite funny, which I learned over our many meals together. When Mary believed in someone, she gave it her all, and I mean her all! He could stand toe-to-toe with anyone and would do it wholeheartedly for those he defended. The word gets thrown around a lot, but in this case it's so accurate: Mary was “passionate” in everything she did. I am grateful to have experienced her influence and guidance.”
Martin won a Grammy in 2002 for co-producing (with Bonnie Garner and Luke Lewis) the tribute album Timeless — Hank Williams Tribute, which was voted best country album. It was also Martin who offered early career encouragement to another triple threat singer-songwriter-guitarist, Keith Urban, encouraging him to move to Nashville from Australia to pursue his musical aspirations.
“Many times, Mary Martin has spotted great talent and advanced their careers,” he said. Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement. “Early on, he connected Bob Dylan with Hawkes' friends, who became The Band. He managed Leonard Cohen in his early musical outings and then mentored the budding solo careers of Van Morrison, Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill. At Warner Bros., he signed future Country Music Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris, at RCA he helped sign and develop Clint Black and Lorrie Morgan, and encouraged a young Keith Urban to move from Australia to Nashville. Mary's unerring feel for songs and performers was legendary and she was a staunch ally for the artists she represented.”
Martin was also a sexual assault survivor and became a strong advocate for justice for fellow survivors.
In 2007, Martin received a lifetime achievement award from Nashville music industry group SOURCE and celebrated with the Americana Music Association's Jack Emerson Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2009, he was honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as part of the Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum.
